Any one getting the brunt of the winds yet

[Ed P]

Funny place in some respects. Lots of things we consider dangerous – insane risk taking helicopter pilots, horrendously fast zip wires, jet boats etc are treated with disdain. But many kiwis go weak-kneed over wasps (so-called GERMAN wasps) or rumours of an escaped snake. They even banned  schools teaching about radioactivity for a while because of potential dangers!

[Bob Williams]

Spheksophobia – fear of wasps – I can understand, having been attacked (in Germany, actually!) several times in one day by several different wasps. One part of my brain tells me that they are another example of an insect that actually does more good than harm,* but the basic part recalls that day of pain and directs me to kill the things on sight. As I normally do with something that comes to my notice by its effect upon my person, I educated myself about wasps.

*They pollinate plants at least as much, if not more, than bees. They kill a lot of other insects, some harmful to humans or human food sources. I have read that one wasp nest may be responsible for catching and killing 5 tonnes of insects in one year, in order to feed their own larvae. The larvae return the favour by turning the chitin of the insects eaten, into food for adult wasps. A sustainable, ecological food supply.

There are two main species of colonial, nest-building wasps: the Common Wasp, which are the ones that nest in human environments and require Pest Control. And the German Wasp, Ed – really their name – building nests in trees and bushes. The German is darker and a bit larger.

None of that makes me love the things, although there has been a huge nest of Germans in a very big tree just 20 yards around the corner from my bungalow, ever since I have lived here, 14 years. Not one person has ever been stung by them, although a nest of the Common Wasp had to be destroyed and removed from a bungalow opposite mine, 3 years ago. The Pest Control worker showed me the differences between them, having retrieved a dead German from beneath the tree, where the Germans eject their dead. I love to throw out some fruit segments in the sun on a hot day, let them ferment and watch German wasps get staggering drunk on the results! Not the first time I have helped a German become insensibly intoxicated, I’m afraid…..???

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[The Duke]

Never been sting by a bee or wasp, but am allergic to horse fly. Been stung twice and needed anti biotics and have two nice scares on on for arm and one on my calf.

 

I wad also stung but something that looked like an armoured flying beatle in Turkey.  I wad riding a moped, and the ‘think landed on my mates chest, who was on the back of the bike. He panicked, flicked it downwards and the thing got stuck between my back and my friends crotch/stomach. The pain of Its sting was something else.

I brought the bike to a halt, FAST, the insect was lay on the ground, and we rolled the front wheel over it, the thing got up and flew off.

I can only discreet it as a mini bat man type thing.

20 years on I still have a £1 size scare on my lower back, it took about 6 months to heal, and was swollen for a long time. I think I had antibiotics for this to. But can’t recall. I was in the marines then.

I have no fear of the normal bees wasps, like most, but try to avoid horse flies, which isn’t easy with a 9 yo into horses and a sister in law that lives on a farm with many GGs!

I just don’t wear shorts, and keep my arms covered. I must admit to getting very smoked at women (some men too) that go mental if a wasp goes near them, the jump and run about, with no car for their own safety. It teaches very bad lessons to thier children. And is more likely to get them killed by a car, instead of a small sting. I know which I’d rather have.

Or you could just ignore them, and carefully bat them away. Worked for me for 40 years.

[Ed P]

The Duke wrote:

I must admit to getting very smoked at women (some men too) that go mental if a wasp goes near them, the jump and run about, with no car for their own safety. It teaches very bad lessons to thier children. And is more likely to get them killed by a car, instead of a small sting. I know which I’d rather have.

I can understand some people getting spooked. A friend of mine has been warned that the next bee/wasp sting could kill him unless he can get immediate medical attention. I guess it could get him before he managed to reach his EpiPen.

[JayCeeDee]

The wife’s allergic to wasp stings as well. She now carries an emergency kit with her most places. Anti-histamine tablets, steroid tablets and the Epi-pen.

About 20 years ago now, we were working on the stall and she picked up her coffee cup, just as one crawled out over the rim. It stung her. We could see it was getting worse despite the anti-histamines she took as the “red” was spreading up her hand, then her arm. We just slung everything in the van and went down to the Hammersmith Hospital.  As we were driving the red was spreading up her arm and to her neck, and her lips and eyes were getting puffy. I dropped her off to a nurse at the entrance to A & E and parked the van. By the time I’d got into A & E she was on a trolley and on an adrenaline drip!! They’d totally by-passed triage and took her straight through.

The consultant asked how it had happened and helpfully suggested she change profession!!

 

Regarding the wind, we missed most of the visuals but copped for a very choppy ride through the Bay of Biscay.

[The Duke]

Ed- if thier life depended on it, they shouldn’t be getting all panicked.

[Bob Williams]

I am so glad that I did not come out of my own Wasp experience with an allergy. I was in BAOR, August 1972 and a really hot day, windows wide open. Wednesday, Sports afternoon, and I had been out for a training run, bought a can of Coke in the NAAFI on the way back to my bunk, drank half, went for a shower, came back, laid on my front for a relaxing snooze. Felt something crawling up my back and dozily slapped it, stung half a dozen times. Air turned blue, one dead wasp. Picked up my coke, took a drink and stung 3 times inside and outside my mouth by another wasp hiding in the can. Air turned bluer, another deceased insect. Dressed and drove to Dortmund, where I had dinner with a German mate and family. Driving down the B1 (equivalent of a UK ‘A’ road) I felt something crawling up my back.

German motorists highly amused and/or alarmed, by the sight of a guy bare to the waist, slapping his shirt against his car. Several more stings, more Germans convinced that Englanders are all wahnsinnig. (Insane) No, I do not like wasps, but I don’t fear them. I just try to avoid the buggas! I had treatment by the doctor of my German friends, who also tested me for allergies, said that I would be fine. He also smeared some foul-smelling krap on the bites, which my then SWMRBO* at arms length for a bit, but which cooled the stings and they all went without a scar over a couple of weeks.

Steve, is this what attacked you in Turkey? –     http://tinyurl.com/y6vvruvj

Worst insect effect upon me was a Giant Centipede in Brunei, horrible thing crawled up my arm. Forgot instructions about these and knocked it backwards. Its feet hook backwards and they dug into my arm: they are not venomous as such, but it crawls about the jungle floor in all the krap lying there. Within an hour the scratches turned red and swelled up. By the end of the day I was in Sick Bay being treated for severe blood poisoning. Piccy of similar bug:

*She Who Must Really Be Obeyed!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[The Duke]

I’m not sure if that was one, it was about twice the size of a normal wasp and looked like batman.

Your pic of the millipede, is the reason I went for Norway.

[Bob Williams]

Went to Norway with Strategic Reserve, Steve. On balance, I preferred the hot places and keeping a close eye on the dangerous beasties. Although waking up in a basha with a snake on my chest, was not good. After my mate flicked it off me and macheted its head off, I had a very good bowel movement that morning. ??

Just outside the Arctic Circle – I like my tea hot, not in a frozen lump! Norwegians were good people, though I don’t know how they keep a SOH in those temp’s.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[The Duke]

I find heat is overrated. Something we brits long for until we get it.

These days anything over 30 I don’t like, and once we hit 35, I go hiding for shade.

The issue with the artic is you sweat alot, so it can be very dangerous. Though year on year warm high wick  clothing is I’m proving

The stuff we had in the late 90s was the 60s kit, now they have come along way. Some of the kit my BiL brings home is drop draw expensive items.

We use to call our wet gear (the one we wear not drunk, a cup of tea is also  ‘a wet’) we called ‘our tea bags’ as they let more water in. Our warm gear, we called ho chi minh suits, (another gag), never came out the lockers. POS they was. We’d bought out own snugg kit, which I think is still selling high end military stuff today.

Super warm, weighed nothing, and could fit in its own pocket. Over 10x smaller than the crap issued. I doubt it’s still in service.

[Bob Williams]

I managed to blag a Canadian Army parka whilst on Langlauf (cross-country skiing) with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Bavaria. I know, a real mouthfull: we used to call them Pat’s Girls (from a distance, big guys!) This was from a Canuck with the same name as me and we worked out that our ancestors came from the same area of Wales. Although we worked that out over Bavarian beer and schnapps chasers, so memory is a bit hazy…

Followed that up by blagging a Norwegian Army sleeping bag, just like you say: ” Super warm, weighed nothing, and could fit in its own pocket ” both these items served me well, the kit we got was absolutely useless, would not keep a penguin warm. I even had to buy my own skis: those the Army gave me were ancient, eventually broke and I was supposed to wait for the MOD to find another pair. So I bought a pair recommended by a Norwegian squaddie, funded by a poker win from his lagkamerats. Scandinavians cannot drink alcohol and play cards, I discovered. I was outfitted for Winter Warfare by 2 NATO nations! When I left Germany, I knew I was on my last year in the Army, so I had an auction of all that kit and some other stuff I had “accumulated” over the years, fetched a good sum.

I’m a bit strange with heat and cold: after a couple of weeks of acclimatisation, I am OK with both, although I prefer hot. Problem with heat is not my body, but the stoma pouch, which blows up like a balloon. I don’t ever remember being sunburned, I just go a darker reddish-brown. My dad and eldest bro were the same, but middle bro was ginger like our mam and burned easily. When I was 16 and 17 as a seaman on Mediterranean runs, I would lie on a hatch reading off duty, in the nuddy. Once fell asleep and woke to guys laughing: a cruise liner passing, with all the passengers gawking at my bod. I like to entertain people…

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Author]

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